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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

4032: Laser Hot Hits heard with 60s music @ 2030 with a good signal, but some strong morse QRM. SINPO 43443.6275: Radio Calypso with a great signal, peaking at S9+10dB. Heard @ 0840 playing Kim Wilde. SINPO 44444.

Monday, April 28, 2008

4032: Laser Hot Hits back on the air. Heard @ 2050 playing a song by ABC with a good signal but some utility QRM. According to Martin Scott on Alfa Lima's forum the reason LHH was not being heard well recently was due to a transmitter fault. Good to hear them back on the air. SINPO 43443.6925u: Spider Radio with a fair signal tonight. Heard @ 2035 playing a Midnight Oil song, followed by "All the Young Dudes," then the usual canned Spider Radio ID by a woman. Signal around S6. SINPO 34333.

This from Peter Moore, Caroline station manager, following the station's recent 9290 shortwave broadcast:

The Radio Caroline shortwave transmissions on 9290 with 20kW brought 16 replies from the UK, Italy, Norway, Japan, Greece, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Sweden and South Africa. I also received a report from Germany for 945 and from the United States for 6925. They were all from QSL seekers not listeners in the true sense, the music and presentation was noted for verification not for enjoyment.

I spent three hours writing replies and forwarded the reports to Raimonds in Latvia. Some people sent recordings on cassette or mini CD disc. I have 10 dollar bills and 8 IRCs. Raimonds gifted us the airtime so we will probably break even and of course the geographical spread of the signal was interesting but aside from state broadcasters shortwave really is just a novelty.

Radio Caroline may have a further dabble to see if listeners would come to a permanent shortwave music channel but mostly this is a project we are trying to complete out of respect for our departed colleague Rob Leighton. It has to be considered of course that only among a small anorak clique did anyone know about this broadcast; the reports were from people who discovered the signal and only had a three hour window to do so.

One could assume a better response if the signal was on full time. Rob Leighton loved shortwave and had built, at the time of his death, an almost complete and very efficient transmitter with a final output of 1 kW.

We had a loose arrangement that Raimonds in Latvia would link it in to the big aerial for 9290 and run a regular Caroline service. In his memory we will do our best to finalise that. Of course it will not be a mighty 100 kW but it will be an affordable project.

6925u Moonshine Radio. 2347-0004UTC. 26/27 Apr. English. Very nice music from the 80s and 90s. YL announcer, Moonshine, and OM announcer, Lawnmower, with a parody of two pirate ops with similar names. Nice show. S5/F-G.

6925 UNID, 0110-0125+. Sun 27 Apr. English. Unid pirate playing “Roots” and “Americana” music including “Ain’t No Bugs on Me,”and “Erie Canal.” Lost in static at 0125. Poor.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

6140: Radio Gloria via Wertchatal @ 1200 with a one hour show in German and English, with rock and pop. S9+20dB signal. SINPO 54444.6215: Radio King Shortwave playing Bryan Adams "Summer of 69"@ 0845. SINPO 24432.

6312: Radio Barretina relaying Radio L'Arboc with a dance music programme @ 2005. Quite a good signal. SINPO 34333.

6882: Radio Playback Int heard @ 1658 with live programme, playing "Keep on Running," followed by chimes on the hour. Signal beginning to come in well now - climbed up to S9 in the last few minutes. SINPO 44433.

9290: Radio Casablanca via Latvia @ 1155 playing German pop and giving out station address in German. Off at 1200. SINPO 45444.

6925U Sycko Radio. 0049-0109UTC. Apr 20. Sycko and Uncle Bob with mx by Robert Plant, Kiss, and others. Several IDs. Most of the mx was unreadable as were Uncle Bob’s comments. Sycko was coming in better. P-F.

6205: Radio Borderhunter giving out contact details and asking for reports @ 0950. Good signal but some fading. SINPO 44433.

6215: Radio King Shortwave (tent) playing Coldplay @ 0900. The IDs always seem a lot quieter than the music which makes it a tricky station to get a clear ID off, as the signal is usually quite weak as well. SINPO 24332.

Both Dave Martin and Andy Walker from WNKR wrote confirming my report hearing them on April 12 via a North American relay on 6925u. You can hear them via the internet. Go to: http://1476.co.nr/ Relay came from a station in Canada called Maple Leaf Radio.

6925 Radio Metallica Worldwide. 2235-2250*. Sun 13 Apr. English. Relay of the famous pirate. Thx to Mark T. for help with this one. It sounded like somebody was looping bits of RMWW and Dr. Tornado. Themes from “The Flintstones” and “Green Acres.” “Secret Agent Man” playing in background. Ments of Blue Ridge Summit, ID as “This is Radio Metallica Worldwide, 69-55 (sic) shortwave” and off with “Take care.” f-p

6270:Radio Calypso heard playing dance music and schlager @ 1050. Good signal. Some QRM from Zodiac. SINPO 43443.

6275: Radio Calypso moved from 6270 - heard @ 1130 giving out hotline number and email address and playing schlager. Still good signal. SINPO 44444. Update: Calypso powering in @ 1810 with a S9+20dB signal. Certainly a long broadcast! SINPO 54444.

6290: Radio Quintus heard playing Dutch music @ 0930, with ID at 0940 in Dutch and English. SINPO 34333.

6295: Grensstad Radio (tent) with instrumental music @ 1135. Poor-fair signal with fading so difficult to pick out clear ID. SINPO 24332.

6300: Radio Paardenkracht with instrumental music @ 1255. SINPO 34433.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

3902: Polaris Radio heard @ 2240 playing Bob Dylan with station ID jingles between records. Good signal but not sure about the name (see comments). SINPO 44333. To hear recording click here3935: Laser Hot Hits with the Anoraks Hour playing offshore recordings of Radio London in 1967 @ 1725. SINPO 34433.6270: Radio Altrex playing pop music @ 0845 followed by ID and greeting listeners. Fair signal here - about S7-8. SINPO 34333.

6310: Radio Malaisy with a strong signal @ 1715, playing dance music followed by jingle. SINPO 44444.

6850 MAC (t). 0059-0137* 6 Apr. EG. Anncr with ments of Paul Starr. Very poor vox. Mx by the Beatles, Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Boston, and many others. Very nice selection of mx. Gave email add as MACshortwave@yahoo.com, but I never heard a clear ID. This may have been a relay. Off at 0137 with NA. Lots of QRN. Mx was much better than vox. S5/F-P.

6925u UNID. 2200-2228* 4 Apr. English. OM announcer that sounded quite a bit like Walter Breenan. Repeated mentions of the phrase "How about some real pirate radio. Who wants to wants to hear pirate radio?" Mx included: "Be Sure," "Young Love," Because of You," "Wandering Gypsy," and several more. Announcer kept yelling "Hey" in between several spots of dead air. Very poor vox and generally a poor reception. No ID heard.

6925 WHYP. 2315-2341*. 4 Apr. English. The first log of Mr. Brownyard’s station since Halloween, 2005. James Brownyard and Uncle Schleckstien with IDs and a promise to return to the air soon. Mx by Styx and an instrumental blues tune. Nice to hear this station again. Fair.

6925u Sycko Radio. 0226-0231. 6 Apr. EG. ID as "Sycko Radio, 69-25." Ments of Uncle Bob and talk with YL. Ments of several noted pirate DXers. S7/F-G. 6925 Unid. 0252*. 6 Apr. EG. Just heard the last minute or so of the show. Playing "Ain’t no Bugs on Me," and off w/o s/off ancmts. Fair.

6925u Uncle Bob Radio. 0138-0220*. 6 Apr. EG. Uncle Bob playing ragtime and very old pop mx. Ments of having to take his medication. ID as "This is Uncle Bob at the microphone," and off. S5/Poor.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

3905: Antonio Radio heard @ 2010 playing 60s music. Some fading of the signal. SINPO 34433.3935: Laser Hot Hits playing reggae music @ 1825. SINPO 34333.6215: Radio King Shortwave (tent) heard @ 0930 playing oldies, with a weak signal, suffering from utility and other QRM. SINPO 23332.

6220: Mystery Radio with dance music @ 1855. Good signal. SINPO 44444. At 2005, live programme with Chris Ise. Still 44444.6265: Radio Altrex heard @ 0850 with ID, greeting Iann in France and playing oldies. Weak signal with fair peaks. SINPO 24332.